Code of Conduct

Welcome to the Battle.net Discussion Forums! These forums are here to provide you with a friendly environment where you can discuss ideas, give game play advice, role-play, and converse about any other aspects of Battle.net games with other players. Community forums are at their best when participants treat their fellow posters with respect and courtesy. Therefore, we ask that you conduct yourself in a civilized manner when participating in these forums.

The guidelines and rules listed below explain what behavior is expected of you and what behavior you can expect from other community members. Note that the following guidelines are not exhaustive, and may not address all manner of offensive behavior. As such, the forum moderators shall have full discretion to address any behavior that they feel is inappropriate. Also, suspension or banishment from the game will always result in the same in regard to forum access. Your access to these forums is a “privilege,” and not a “right.” Blizzard Entertainment reserves the right to suspend your access to these forums at any time for reasons that include, but are not necessarily limited to, your failure to abide by these guidelines.

We reserve the right to evaluate each incident on a case by case basis. The action we take may be more lenient or more severe than those listed under each category:

Racial / Ethnic

This category includes both clear and masked language and/or links to websites containing such language or images which:

Promote racial/ethnic hatred

Are recognized as a racial/ethnic slur

Allude to a symbol of racial/ethnic hatred

If a player is found to have participated in such actions, he/she will:

Be temporarily banned from the forums

Be given a final warning, after which any further Code of Conduct violations may result in a permanent ban from the forums

Account Trading

This category includes both advertising your account or characters for sale or trade, or advertising that you are looking for an account or characters to purchase through:

Forum posts

Linking to eBay or other online marketplaces

Listing you have something for trade and then offering your contact information

If a player is found to have participated in such actions, he/she will:

Be given a final warning, after which any further Code of Conduct violations may result in a permanent ban from the forums

Be permanently banned from the forums

Extreme Sexuality / Violence

This category includes both clear and masked language and/or links to websites containing such language or images which:

Refer to extreme and/or violent sexual acts

Refer to extremely violent real life actions

Pornography

If a player is found to have participated in such actions, he/she will:

Be permanently banned from the forums

Real-Life Threats

This category includes both clear and masked language and/or links to websites containing such language or images which:

Refer to violence in any capacity that is not directly related to the game world

If a player is found to have participated in such actions, he/she will:

Be temporarily banned from the forums

Be given a final warning, after which any further Code of Conduct violations may result in a permanent ban from the forums

Distribution of Real-Life Personal Information

This category includes:

Releasing any real-life information about other players or Blizzard Entertainment employees

If a player is found to have participated in such actions, he/she will:

Be permanently banned from the forums

Sexual Orientation

This category includes both clear and masked language and/or links to websites containing such language or images which:

Insultingly refer to any aspect of sexual orientation pertaining to themselves or other players

If a player is found to have participated in such actions, he/she will:

Be temporarily banned from the forums

Be given a final warning, after which any further Code of Conduct violations may result in a permanent ban from the forums

Posting Cheats, Hacks, Trojan Horses or Malicious Programs

This category includes:

Posting links to cheats, hacks, or malicious viruses / programs

If you would like to report information regarding cheats or hacks to Blizzard, send it to hacks@blizzard.com. Do not post it to the forums.

If a player is found to have participated in such actions, he/she will:

Be permanently banned from the forums

Impersonating a Blizzard Employee

This category includes:

Passing yourself off as a Blizzard employee to post false information

If a player is found to have participated in such actions, he/she will:

Be given a final warning, after which any further Code of Conduct violations may result in a permanent ban from the forums

Posting Unreleased Content / Hacking Data Files

This category includes language and/or links to websites containing such language or images which:

Show unreleased in-game items, equipment, or areas that have been unlocked by hacking into client data files

Show the results of hacking or any tampering of the game’s MPQ files

Discuss, or display any data not available through normal game play

If a player is found to have participated in such actions, he/she will:

Be permanently banned from the forums

Obscene / Vulgar

This category includes both clear and masked language in posts, signatures, and/or links to websites containing such language or images which:

Are an inappropriate reference to human anatomy or bodily functions

Are pornographic in nature

If a player is found to have participated in such actions, he/she will:

Be given a temporary ban from the forums, depending upon severity

While these repercussions may seem harsh, we feel very strongly that this behavior has no place on the forums due to its extremely offensive and inappropriate nature.

Inappropriate Language

This category includes language and/or links to websites containing such language or images which:

Are a mildly inappropriate reference to human anatomy or bodily functions

Are otherwise considered objectionable

Bypass the Mature Language filter

If a player is found to have participated in such actions, he/she will:

Be given a temporary ban from the forums, depending upon severity

Harassing or Defamatory

This category includes both clear and masked language and/or links to websites containing such language or images which:

Insultingly refer to other characters, players, Blizzard employees, or groups of people

Result in ongoing harassment to other characters, players, Blizzard employees, or groups of people

If a player is found to have participated in such actions, he/she will:

Be given a temporary ban from the forums, depending upon severity

Harassment takes many forms, and is not necessarily limited to the type of language used, but the intent. Repeatedly targeting a specific player with harassment can lead to more severe action. The idea behind this is to prevent any one player from consistently being uncomfortable in the forums.

Major Religions or Religious Figures

This category includes both clear and masked language and/or links to websites containing such language or images which:

Negatively portray major religions or religious figures

If a player is found to have participated in such actions, he/she will:

Be given a temporary ban from the forums, depending upon severity

National

This category includes language and/or links to websites containing such language or images which:

Promote national hatred

Are recognized as national slurs

Allude to symbols of national hatred

If a player is found to have participated in such actions, he/she will:

Be given a temporary ban from the forums, depending upon severity

Illegal Drugs or Activities

This category includes both clear and masked language and/or links to websites containing such language or images which:

Reference to abusing illegal drugs

Reference to performing illegal activities

If a player is found to have participated in such actions, he/she will:

Be given a temporary ban from the forums, depending upon severity

Spamming or Trolling

This category includes:

Excessively communicating the same phrase, similar phrases, or pure gibberish

Creating threads for the sole purpose of causing unrest on the forums

Causing disturbances in forum threads, such as picking fights, making off topic posts that ruin the thread, insulting other posters

Circumventing a Suspension / Ban

If a player is found to have participated in such actions, he/she will:

Be permanently banned from posting on the forums

IMPORTANT

Repeatedly violating any area of the Blizzard Terms of Use or Forum Code of Conduct, including the areas detailed above, will often result in permanent banishment from the forums.

This policy is not language-restrictive. Language that falls under this policy will always be subject to the repercussions listed, whether it is inappropriate in English or any other language.

The bottom line is that we want Battle.net to be a fun and safe environment for all players. While playing on Battle.net and posting on its forums, you will encounter thousands of other players who share different experiences and come from vastly different backgrounds. While certain language and images may not be offensive to you, consider the fact that that same language and images may have a completely different effect on someone else. We’ve done everything we can to make this a great environment – now it’s up to you!